Rail-fastening.



J. R. STE

191m Patented May 1, 1917.

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J. R. STEELE, 1R. RAIL FASTENING. APPLICATION FILED 056.4, m.RENEwEnVsEPLg.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l 916. PatentedY May 1, 1917.

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JAMES ROBERTv STEELE, JR., OF OWEG'O, NEW.-YORK, ASSIGNORTO STEELE RAILANCHOR COMPANY', ING.,` 0F OWEGO, NEW YORK, A (.'IORPORA'LLIONv OF NEW'.YORK.

RAIL-FASTENING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May l, 1917.

Application led December 4, 1912, Serial No. 734,838. Renewed September9, 1916. Serial No. 119,280.

To all whom t may concern: i

Be it known that l, JAMES ROBERT STEELE,

tures of construction andy relation which are specially effective toprevent both spreading and creeping of the railsand to resist andutilize the various stresses which act at the same or different timeswithin the track. These features are illustrated herein in connectionwith one embodiment of the invention, but it is toy be understood thatother specific embodiments containing part or all of the elementsdisclosed may be produced within the scope of the invention.

rl"he complete rail fastening, as preferably constituted, comprises atie plate and integral-head, cylindrical-shank fasteners inserted indiagonal' bored holes in the tie, the fasteners and tie plate togetherforming a semi-rigid load-sustaining and stress-resist ing unit, whereinthe tie plate receives the,

load from the rail and in turn transmits it to the diagonal shanksof thefasteners, upon which the tie plate rests. When the load is on the railthe tie plate seizes the upper portions of the shanks in its holes, sothat all relative movement between the4 same, either vertically orhorizontally, is prevented, for which purpose the cylindrical shanks andthe holes in the tie plate are formed for close engagement with eachother, the holes being preferably punched diagonally to correspond withthe holes bored in the tie. In this way the tie plate is compelled tobear upon the fasteners and the integral heads of the latter cannotspread apart or loosen their grip on the rail flanges. As long as thevertical load bears on the shanks of the fasteners, it so far outweighsany other forces acting at the same time that the resultant upon thefasteners is directed steeply downward, and consequently upward movementthereof is impossible. Because of the support afforded the tie plate bythe diagonal fasteners, its tendency to settle into the tie under theweight of passing trains is greatly decreased, and the life of the tieis correspondingly prolonged. Furthermore, the rail,'tie plate byadmitted moisturei and tie, being alllashed firmly and permanentlytogether, there is no opportunity for the plate to work up and down, soas to injure the wood and permit it to be attacked It may be noted,however, that, whilefor this and other reasons, including the holding ofthe rail against longitudinal movement or creeping, it is eX- tremelydesirable that the heads of the fasteners clamp the rail tightly to thetie plate and'tie, yet l do not'in all instances limit myself tothis,`since many of the advantages of the tie plateresting on the'fasteners and of other. features 0f the invention, can be realized eventhough a certain amount of relative vertical play be permitted to therail, as is preferred by some. While the settling' of the tie plate intothe tie is substantially overcome by supporting it on the fasteners,such downward movement of the plate as does occur carries the fastenerswith it, their necks being gripped immovably in the tie plate holes. Asthe result of suon action the shanks may bend slightly below the tieplate, but this is, if anything, an advantage, since such bendingconstitutes an additional checkagainst anypo'ssibility of the.y momentofthe load onthe Vrail tending to `break the vplate is decreased becausethe Vpoints ofsupport of the plate on the fasteners are inward of theends of the plate, for which reason it is possible to use a thinnerplate than would otherwise be safe to employ. The tie plate and thefasteners at both sides 'of the yrail act as a substantially rigidstructure, engaging a large amount of woodinthetie and conjointlyresisting and neutralizing all stresses to which a rail fastening may besubjected.

The integral heads of the fasteners extend laterally from the plaincylindrical shanks, so that the rails can be released for removal bymerely turning the fasteners so that their heads are parallel with therail or pointing outward. This lateral `disposition. yof the heads andthe ability of 'the fasteners to turn has the furthery advantage thatthe fastenings are not likely to be torn out or broken in event of theheads being clutched by dangling parts on passing trains, sucharrangement merely turning the heads sufciently to permit the engagingparts to escape.

The firmness of the structure is increased by causing the fasteners toengage with each other within the tie, the tie holes being boredintersecting for this purpose. lOne -form of intersecting constructionof the fasteners is shown herein, but other forms may be used, orinterlocking may be dispensed with entirely.

In order to increase the amount of Wood engaged and to remove anypossibility ol anyl resultant of forces, in the absence of the load,acting upward sufficiently in line with any of the fasteners toV raisethe same, the shanks are disposed at a double diagonal, that is to say,they are transversely diagonal with respect to the rail and alsodiagonal lengthwise thereof. It results from this arrangement that oneof the fasteners, at least, is contrary to traffic, that is to say,inclined upward and backward relative to the direction of movement oftrains on the track, so that any tendency of the rail t creep creates afurther tightening yof the head of the fastener upon the rail flange. Afurther advantage of the double diagonal disposition of the fasteners asherein illustrated results from the fact that their upper portions areoffset lengthwise of the rail, so that the tie plate cannot rock uponits points of support on the' fasteners to the detriment of the tie.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of my invention, the section beingtaken on a line 1 1 in Fig. 2, the fasteners being shown in elevation.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation of one of the fasteners. l

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the other.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary elevati'on, partly in section,illustrating the fasteners prior to locking.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view, showing the fasteners locked;and

Fig. ,7 is a sectional diagrammatic view illustrating a manner ofpreventing loosening of the fasteners.

.As herein illustrated,my improved rail fastener includes a plate orbase 2 provided .with a channel 3 adapted to vreceive the flange 4 of arail. I prefer that the channel 3 be just wide enough to lreceive the'flange y4, so'that there will notl be any side lash on the part of therail. lAs can be seen,

' the plate 2 rests lupon a tie 6 -andta-kes the passes 'through theplate 2 and into the tie weight placed upon the rail.

To vsecure the rail and plate to the tie I provide fasteners 9 and 10,yeach of which G. Thefasteners are made vfrom lengths of rod and havelaterally projecting .integral "heads j12 and '13, to engage'theflanges4 of l the rail and cylindrical shanks which are Ainsertedwithout play in bored openings 7 and 8 into the tie.

, rIhe said openings are bored# diagonally inthe tie and the heads ofthe fasteners are formed in such relation to the shanks that whenlthelatter are inserted in the openings the heads bear properly upon thesurfaces of the ianges 4. In the present embodiment of the invention thediagonal openings are so bored as to intersect beneath the rail, inorder that the fastenersmay engage with each other. As will be observedin Figs. 1 and 2, the openings in the tie, and consequently the shanksof the fasteners when forced therein, are disposed at a double diagonal,being inclined both transversely and longitudinally with respect to therail.

rIhe holes in the tie plate 3, through which the fasteners are passed,are also punched diagonally in the Asame directions in which theopenings are bored'in the tie and are fitted closely by the shanks forthe reasons hereinbefore set forth. They are also offset from each otherlengthwise of the rail, the points of support of the tie plate on thefasteners being, therefore, out of transverse alinement.

In the particular form .of engagement between the fasteners within thetie herein illustrated, one of thefasteners, 9, is pro- 95 vided nearits lower end with a slot llto receive the lower portion of the fastener10. The lower portion 17 of the latter fastener is flattened, comprisinga relatively wide keeper 14 at the extremity of a reduced por- 19e tion18 which connects the keeper with the cylindrical body. The, relation ofthe parts is such that when the fastener' 10 is turned, so that its head13 is approximately parallel. with the base, as represented by dotted105 lines in Figs. 1 and 2, the keeper 14 may pass through the slot 11,but when the head 13 is turned into operative position over the railIflange, the width of the keeper 14 is disposed at right angles to thelength of the 11@ slot and consequently the fasteners cannot bewithdrawn. The reduced portion' 18 of the fastener 10, it will beunderstood, should be of such'dimensions with reference to the slot 11as to permit it to turn therein. The 115 upper surface of the railflange 4 slopes upward from its outer edge, and consequently as the head13 is turned from the dotted line to the full line position (Figs. 1 and2);,'it rides uphillon the flange, with a resulting 123 tendency to drawits shank upward. This effect is also secured byy a cam` formation ofvthe head, indicated in Figs. v4 and 7. The

parts y are so proportioned that as the result of this action the keeper14 bearsforci- 125 bly against a flat under surface 16 on the fastener 9at theback of the slot 11, and the :head 13, therefore, exerts apowerful grip on the rail flange. In order to facilitate the turning ofthe-fastener 10,-t'he shoulders 19 130 on the upper end of the keeper14C may be rounded, as indicated, and after the fasteners are locked,backward turning of the element 10 may be prevented by striking up a bur21 on the flange of the rail. rl`he keeper 14 bearing against thesurface 16 thus serves as an anchorage, causing the head 13 as theresult of its camming action when turned to bear With an anti-creepinggrip on the rail flange. lt also holds the fastener 9 againstwithdrawal, and in order to increase the security With which thisfastener is held, the surface 16 is formed at an inclination as shown.This inclination is not lsuch as to cause the fastener 9 to be drawndownward by a Wedging action, but it does prevent the said fastenermoving upward. The tie plate may be provided adjacent one end with arecess 2O in its upper surface to accommodate the head 13 in arelatively low-lying position when turned horizontally, so as to renderits camming action more effective when turned to ride upon the surfaceof the rail flange as described.

ln setting the fastener the tie is bored With the diagonal intersectingopenings 7 and 8, the tie plate is placed in position on the tie withits diagonal punched openings in alinement with the bores in the tie,and the rail is seated in the channel of the plate. The fastener 9 isnow inserted through its tie plate hole into the opening 8 and forcedhome with its head 12 bearing upon the corresponding rail flange. Thefastener 10 is next inserted in the opening 7 with its head 13 in theapproximately horizontal position and its keeper 14 consequentlypresented so as to pass through the slot-11. Upon turning the fastener10 so that its head takes over the rail flange the parts are lockedagainst displacement and the head 13 binds upon the rail flange so as tooppose creeping.

With the parts thus assembled the tie plate rests upon the shanks of thediagonal fasteners, so that the vertically acting load is utilized asdescribed. Side thrust and other stresses are resisted by the tie plateand fasteners acting as a substantially rigid unit, and the doublediagonal disposition of the fasteners possesses the advantages indicatedin the introductory part of the specification. Various other advantagesof the novel principles of construction and relation herein disclosedWill be recognized by those skilled in the art. It may be noted that itis desirable to bore the holes 7 and 8 completely through the tie, asshown in Fig. 1, since in this Way they are self draining.

l claim as my invention:

1. The combination With a rail and an underlying tie having formed holestherein extending diagonally beneath the rail, of fasteners havingintegral laterally extending heads engaging the anges of the rail andplain cylindrical shanks inserted in said holes, and a tie plate havingopenings receiving and closely engaging said shanks, the tie plateresting on the fasteners.

2. 1n a rail fastening, the combination of a tie plate and fastenershaving integral heads engaging the rail flanges and plain shanks passingthrough and closely fitting the openings of the tie plate and entereddiagonally into the tie, the tie plate resting on the fasteners.

3. ln a rail fastening, the combination of a tie plate and fastenershaving integral laterally extending heads engaging the rail flanges andplain shanks circular in crosssection passing through the tie plate andextending diagonally beneath the rail, the tie plate having openings tofit the fasteners.

4. In a rail fastening, the combination of a tie plate and fastenershaving integral laterally extending'heads and plain shanks circular incross-section passing through the tie plate into the tie in directionsdiagonal both transversely and longitudinally to the rail, the tie plateresting on the fasteners.

5. A rail fastening comprising a tie plate having openings and fastenershaving integral laterally extending heads engaging the rail flanges andplain shanks circular in cross-section extending diagonally beneath therail, the upper parts of the shanks fitting closely in the openings ofthe tie plate, which rests upon the diagonal fasteners.

6. The combination With a rail and an underlying tie having diagonalformed holes therein, of fasteners having integral heads to engage therail flanges at opposite sides of the rail and plain shanks inserted insaid diagonal holes, and a tie plate having openings occupied by theshanks, Whereon the tie plate rests.

7. The combination with a. rail .and an underlying tie having diagonalintersecting formed holes therein, of fasteners having integral heads toengage the rail flanges at opposite sides of the rail and plain shanksinserted in said holes and provided With mutually engaging portions, anda tie plate resting on the said shanks.

8. The combination with a rail and an underlying tie having holes formedtherein in directions doubly diagonal to the rail, of fasteners havingplain shanks inserted in said doubly diagonal holes and integral headsarranged to engage the opposite flanges of the rail, and a tie plateresting on said shanks.

9. A rail fastening, comprising the combination of rail fasteners havingintegral laterally extending heads formed to engage the rail flanges andplain cylindrical shanks formed to be inserted diagonally in a Wood tie,and a tie plate having openings whereby under load it seizes and issupported by the shanks of the fasteners.

10. Rail fastening means comprising a tie plate having holes formeddiagonally therethrough and offset longitudinally from each other atopposite sides of the rail, and fasteners having integral laterallyextending heads to engage the rail flanges and plain circular Shanksfitting closely in said holes in the tie plate, said Shanks beingdiagonal in the tie both transversely and longitudinally with respect tothe rail.

11. A pair of integral head rail fasteners having plain shanksintersecting within bored holes in the tie, one or both of said Shanksextending diagonally downward beneath the railand also diagonally to thelength thereof, combined with a tie plate having longitudinally offsetopenings whereby it engages and rests upon the upper portions of thediagonal Shanks.

l2. In a rail fastener, the combination with a rail and tie, the latterprovided with intersecting bored holes, of a pair of fasteners havingcylindrical Shanks inserted in said holes and integral heads bearingdirectly upon the rail flanges, the said Shanks v having integral mutualf engaging lower portions, and means whereby setting of one of theintegral fasteners into its final position locks the other.

13. A pair of rail fasteners having integral heads -and cylindricalShanks designed to be inserted in intersecting bored holes in a tie, anintegral lock between the fasteners, and means whereby the lock istightened upon rotation of one of the fasteners by reaction of itsintegral head on the flange of the rail tending to draw the shank ofthis fastener upward.

1&1. A rail clamp comprising two interlocking integral members extendinginto the tie from opposite sides of the rail in a direction diagonal tothe length, means carried by said members adapted to engage the rail,and a tie plate having openings for the kpassage of said membersarranged diagonally on opposite sides of the rail.

15. In combination with a tie provided with `angularly disposedintersecting openings, a rod carried by one of said openings,

provided with a surface inclined with relation to the axis of the rodadjacent the lower end thereof, a rod carried by the other of saidopenings, .means carried by the rod last named adapted to engage theinclined surface on the rod lirst named, and means carried by said rodsadapted to engage the flange of a rail.

16. In combination with a tie provided with angularly disposedintersecting openings, a rod carried by one of said openings, providedwith a surface inclined with relation to its axis, adjacent the lowerend thereof, a rod carried the other of said openings, means carried bythe rod last named adapted to engage the said inclined surface,r on therod first named, and means carried by said rods adapted to engage theflange of a rail, said means being integral with said rods.

17. ln combination with a tie having intersecting openings, railfasteners having Shanks in Said openings and integral heads to bear uponthe flanges of the rail, one of said Shanks having means to lock againstthe other shank when partially turned in its opening, and the head ofsaid shank loeing adapted to ride with al camming action upon the railflange when So turned.

18. In combination with a tie having intersecting openings, railfasteners having Shanks in said openings and integral heads to bear uponthe flanges ofthe rail, one of said Shanks having an abutment adapted tobear upward against the other shank when the rst shank is partiallyturned in its opening whereby the head of this first shank is caused togrip upon the rail flange, the second shank presenting an inclinedSurface to they thrust of the abutment whereby it is held against upwardmovement.

Signed at New York city, in the ycounty of New York and State of NewYork, this 3d day of December, 1912.

JAMES ROBERT STEELE, JR.

Witnesses:

FRED FVWEISS, F. yARREN WRIGHT.

Copies of 4this patent maybe 'obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C.

